Plateau/slow metabolism

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Replies

  • SRJ5820
    SRJ5820 Posts: 63 Member
    Thanks for the replies guys. The biggest concern is only losing only 1 pound in 3 months. I GET that it is linear. I GET that every week will no be exactly 2 pounds. Believe me I understand that. But I have lost only 1 pound in 3 months! Yes I weigh everything. I count everything I eat except sugar free gum and salt packets. I wear my heart rate monitor when I work out. I stop it immediety when I am done. I am not perfect, but it worked beautifully for over a year, and now it doesn't work. That is what I, the doctor, and the nutrionist can't figure out.
  • SRJ5820
    SRJ5820 Posts: 63 Member
    edited May 2015
    Mrm27- I weighed around 240 when I graduated high school. I'm now 38. I'd say my average adult weight was around 280. In April 2012 I weighed 290 and I quit smoking. Didn't weigh myself until one day in March 2013. I weighed 323. Bought an elliptical and started using mfp. No loose skin. Weigh and measure everything. Track everything. Rarely eat out.
  • debubbie
    debubbie Posts: 767 Member
    I have the HR7 monitor and update it every time I have lost any weight, whether it is a pound or three pounds. I have noticed a decrease in my calorie burn from September to now with just an 18 pound weight loss. You may want to check that you have updated that with Polar to see if it is giving you larger burns than what you should be getting. I would also switch up the intensity of the activities that you are doing, maybe some high intensity interval training to kick it up, and only eat back about 100-150 of your exercise calories back each day instead of most of them. Try it for a few weeks and see if anything happens. Good luck!
  • SRJ5820
    SRJ5820 Posts: 63 Member
    atypicalsmith- I'd be happy with any weight loss, but unfortunetly I "maintain" at 1580 calories.
  • SRJ5820
    SRJ5820 Posts: 63 Member
    Yes my hrm is up to date on current weight. I used to use the polar app, but then switched to the icardio app because it intergrates with mfp. They both used to give me pretty close numbers. I'll turn both apps on today and see what numbers I am getting.
  • katherine_startrek_fan
    katherine_startrek_fan Posts: 425 Member
    What concerns me is how low you were eating during your first round of weight loss, how quickly you lost 90 pounds, and your referred comments to going on and off the diet.

    I think the people who are most successful look at MFP as a method to change their lifestyle, not as a diet tool.

    I think that once you consider this as a long term lifestyle and can sustain your efforts without MFP, you'll be ready for maintainence.

    As a side note, most people put back on around ten pounds of water weight when they reach maintenance. It's that same water weight that makes us feel so successful when we first start trying to lose weight.
  • SRJ5820
    SRJ5820 Posts: 63 Member
    I'm sorry I don't get what is unlikely. Maybe it's too early to think. Clarify please?
  • SRJ5820
    SRJ5820 Posts: 63 Member
    Katherine- I don't think I was eating too low. When I started it gave me around 2100 calories, then every 10 pound loss it was about 40 calories less per day. 90 pounds lost in ~55 weeks wasn't too quick. I have to go "off" the diet at some point. I know that this needs to be a lifestyle change. Both times "off" the diet I was just trying to recalibrate my metabolism. Like I said, I probably did each too much but it's like I wasn't watching what I ate and was eating pizza and ice cream.
  • SRJ5820
    SRJ5820 Posts: 63 Member
    MFP says I need 2580 calories to maintain. I NET about 1480-1530 to try to lose 2 pounds per week. It worked for the first year (yes the numbers where slightly higher when I was bigger). Now have only lost 1pound in 3 months.
  • SRJ5820
    SRJ5820 Posts: 63 Member
    Here is a link to a recent workout on the elliptical

    https://my.digifit.com/site/share/workout/3ce8fe28f8e811e49ad20ba7bc1370a0.html#.VVdQSdrzgcw.email

  • SRJ5820
    SRJ5820 Posts: 63 Member
    MrM27- I appreciate the advice. That's why I posted. I don't know if the numbers I posted are accurate. That is what MFP say. The nutrionist also says it is about 2550. My point is is that I do weigh my food. I do track everything. I use a hrm. I eat close to a 1000 calorie deficit a day. Not losing weight currently. That is why I originally asked about being on a plateau. Has anybody been on a plateau and how to break it. Like I said earlier, I'm not trying to be a jerk or act like I'm not listening. Most of the advise is thing I know like weigh and measure and count everything.
  • deniztuzu2
    deniztuzu2 Posts: 77 Member
    I would advice using your own data to figure out your calorie goals. You should have enough data to reach a reasonable number. Use that number and use TDEE method (don't rely on exercise burn). After 4 weeks, evaluate your results and make adjustments accordingly.
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    edited May 2015
    SRJ5820 wrote: »
    MrM27- I appreciate the advice. That's why I posted. I don't know if the numbers I posted are accurate. That is what MFP say. The nutrionist also says it is about 2550. My point is is that I do weigh my food. I do track everything. I use a hrm. I eat close to a 1000 calorie deficit a day. Not losing weight currently. That is why I originally asked about being on a plateau. Has anybody been on a plateau and how to break it. Like I said earlier, I'm not trying to be a jerk or act like I'm not listening. Most of the advise is thing I know like weigh and measure and count everything.

    I know it's frustrating when you feel like you're doing everything right and the scale isn't budging. But the fact is, calories in calories out is fairly absolute. So if you're not losing, there's 3 possibilities:

    1. Calories in - I know you say you're weighing and logging everything, and that may be the case, but double check to make sure that you haven't missed something. Beverages, condiments, oils used for cooking, things that the average person might not think about.

    2. Calories out - First, make sure that your basic calculations are correct. Look up TDEE calculators and put your numbers into several different ones to get an idea of what your TDEE should be. Then compare it to MFP's numbers...keeping in mind that MFP uses a slightly different method (BMR + activity - deficit) than TDEE (total including average activity - deficit). Also keep in mind that all of these calculators are based on population averages. There is a bell curve of normal human variance. You might naturally fall on the lower end of the metabolism bell curve through genetics or environmental factors beyond your control. For this reason, even when you get a good solid idea of your TDEE, you may still need to tweak it up or down.

    3. Water - It's entirely possible that you are losing the bodyfat, but the loss is being masked by water retention. This can happen for lots of reasons including hormonal fluctuations (more of a problem for women, but men still have them), muscle repair due to increases or changes in activity, and differing rates of carb or sodium consumption.

    If you're very sure that you've checked all of these things and the numbers still don't make sense, then it's time to make a doctor's appointment. You could have something going on with your thyroid or some other function which is preventing proper metabolism.
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    I was just looking at your elliptical workout that you posted, did you pause at the dip in HR for a couple minutes? Because that is what it would look like for me if I paused, a sudden drop to a more moderate range.

    I would calculate your calories at 428-461 for that workout, but my rule of thumb is only eat back 50% of my exercise calories, and then if I'm losing too fast, adjust accordingly.

    If everything else fails, get your doctor to take a better look. Have him check your free T3 and free T4 levels, not just TSH. And it would be worth checking to make sure you aren't accidentally using any wrong entries in the database, some of them are whacked.
  • PopeyeCT
    PopeyeCT Posts: 249 Member
    edited May 2015
    Nevermind.
  • DaniCanadian
    DaniCanadian Posts: 261 Member
    Hi! Congrats on your progress so far! I think you are in the same mentality rut that i was for a long time. You're going too extreme because you get all gung-ho about getting fit. That just doesn't work long term, I know from experience! You're better off to set a moderate caloric deficit to something you can live with. Yes, weightloss will be slow but it's much better for your health and will stay off that way! If you eat less some days that's ok and if you eat a bit more, don't be so tough on yourself. It's a marathon, not a sprint.
    I also suggest doing more strength training and less cardio. You'll see better results in the mirror which might help keep you on track. I do 30-45 mins four to five times a week of calestetics (body weight exercises) for strength with about 12-15 mins of high intensity cardio moves interspersed. Pinterest has some great body weight workouts.
    My stats: start weight 2.5 years ago 196 and size 18, current weight: 153 and a size 10.
    Good luck!
  • SRJ5820
    SRJ5820 Posts: 63 Member
    Again, I'm not trying to make anybody go in circles. I understand what you are saying. Maybe I'm not being clear. The diet and exercise worked before, now it doesn't. Like I said, I am cheating a bit more recently. But only a 100 calories or so. And even then I leave 50 to 100 calories on the table. I get that weight loss isn't linear. But 3 months and 1 pound? I'm glad you are trying to help me. That is why I came here. For opinions. To see if anyone else was in the same boat. If you feel like I'm listening, then I don't know what to tell you. But the ideas, for the most part, are ones that I know.
  • SRJ5820
    SRJ5820 Posts: 63 Member
    blankiefinder- thank you for that idea about the t3 and t4 levels. I'll see what he says about it! And yes, I did stop for about 2 minutes to answer a call during my workout. I'll also eat back less calories, see what that does. And I don't use anything from the database unless I've checked multiples to make sure they are equal!
  • SRJ5820
    SRJ5820 Posts: 63 Member
    Thanks DaniCanadian. I'll try to do strength exercises. Don't have any access to weights but maybe I could purchase some. And you are right about being a marathon, but like I said even when I eat at my "maintain" levels I gain a pound or 2 a week. That is why I was thinking I have metabolism issues. If you're a 240 pound man that can't lose anything on a 1500-1600 calories something is up.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    SRJ5820 wrote: »
    Maybe I'm not being clear. The diet and exercise worked before, now it doesn't.

    The closer you get to goal, the smaller the margin of error. So you need to log everything you eat & drink even more accurately & even more honestly.

    My plateaus broke every time when I reread the Sexypants post and tightened up my logging: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

    Logging is simple, but it ain't easy. Logging works.

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